I grew up in a house with a whole house fan, and no air-conditioning. The fan was great when the
temperature went down into the 60’s at night, it pulled cool air throughout the entire house and cooled it down quite nicely. It even helped after those scorching hot days when the temperature only dropped to the mid 80’s at night, it kept a gentle breeze flowing throughout the house all night. I’m sure it saved my parents hundreds of dollars even back then, and installing one in your house can save you up to 50% on your cooling bills every year or up to 90% if you eliminate conventional air conditioners all together.
One of the great benefits of whole house fans is that they will cool your house to a lower temperature than an air conditioner will when the temperature outside at night drops lower than the temperature 
that your air conditioner is set to. Thus, not only will it suck the hot air out of your house, but it will also suck some of the heat absorbed in the walls, floors and ceilings out of your house out too. Then in the morning, when the temperature is the lowest, close all of the windows in order to keep the heat of the day out. In this way you will start the day with a nice cool house that can absorb a fair amount of heat as the temperature climbs outside before the interior starts to become uncomfortable. The more thermal mass such as masonry or plaster walls, concrete, hardwood and/or tile floors that a house has, the more heat it can absorb during the day and be exhausted by the fan at night.
The two possible downsides to a whole house fan are the noise of the fan and t
he introduction of allergens into the house. The fan we had growing up provided a constant hum that just became a nice background noise and actually helped to put me to sleep. Many of the fans available today are quieter than those made in the past, and many of them have a low speed setting so that they operate even more quietly. With respect to allergens, if someone in the house has a problem with seasonal summertime allergies then you probably shouldn’t consider a whole house fan.
Two precautions that you should take are to and to seal all of the holes and cracks between the house and the attic and to make sure that you have adequate ventilation form your attic to the outside. There should be about one square foot of clear vent space to the outside from the attic for every 750 cfm of fan volume. If these precautions are not taken the fan will push hot dusty air right back in to your house.
Conserve energy and enjoy natural cool night breezes this summer. Turn off your air conditioner, and save hundreds of dollars by cooling your house with a whole house fan.
Dan Bossenbroek
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If you would like to improve your indoor air quality the natural way there are some house plants that will do a much better job than others. Some of these plants do a great better job at converting carbon dioxide to oxygen, while others help to remove harmful elements such as trichloroethylene, benzene, formaldehyde and other volitile organic compounds (VOC’s). Some of the best plants for this are: English Ivy, Spider plant, Devil’s ivy, Peace lily, Chinese evergreen, Bamboo palm or reed palm, Snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue, Heartleaf philodendron, Selloum philodendron, Elephant ear philodendron, Red-edged dracaena, Cornstalk dracaena, Janet Craig dracaena, Warneck dracaena, Weeping Fig, Gerbera Daisy or Barberton daisy, Pot Mum or Florist’s Chrysanthemum, and Rubber Plant.
We spend most of our lives indoors, and the majority of that indoor time in our homes. The concern for energy conservation has lead to houses that do a much better job at keeping the cold outside air out. This has done wonders for the energy efficiency of our homes, but has lead to one unfortunate consequence: poor indoor air quality. In old leaky homes, any contaminants inside the house would typically be blown right back out of the house, but in newer homes they can easily become trapped inside.
Some of these contaminants can lead to increased short term allergic type reactions and symptoms like irritated eyes, nose and throat, dizziness and fatigue. These short term reactions are typically not serious health concerns, but some indoor air contaminants have been linked to long term and serious conditions such as respiratory disease, heart disease, and cancer. It is difficult to pinpoint what level of exposure to these contaminants is potentially dangerous, and it also seems to vary from person to person. However, whether you suffer from short term reactions or are concerned about the potential dangers of long term exposure here are ten ways to control indoor air contaminants at their source:
- Leave your shoes at the door: The soles of your shoes can track numerous types of contaminants into your house like tar, dirt, feces, sticks, leaves, road salt, oil, and numerous types of chemicals found on our streets, sidewalks, parking lots and driveways.
- Chemical free cleaning: Eliminate potentially harmful chemicals from your house and improve the indoor air quality by switching to natural, organic cleaners and/or cleaning cloths made of mirafibers which only require water to clean just about anything. These incredible cleaning cloths will also help you save on paper towels too.
- Purchase formaldehyde free and low VOC (volatile organic compound) products: Many building products have traditionally been made with chemicals that have been shown to produce negative effects in some people. These include fiberglass batt insulation, engineered wood products like plywood and particle board, paints, adhesives, varnishes, polyurethane, and carpeting.
- Quit smoking or smoke outside: Second hand smoke is a proven carcinogen, not to mention the foul odor that it leaves behind.
- Provide adequate exhaust for combustion sources: Stoves, ovens, furnaces, fireplaces and kerosene heaters that are improperly vented can introduce dangerous levels of carbon monoxide gas into your house. Carbon monoxide is poisonous, and especially dangerous since it is colorless and odorless.
- Contain the mess or take it outside: Many hobbies and home improvement activities like soldering, gluing, woodworking, sawing, furniture refinishing and sanding can create a huge mess and that mess can quickly spread throughout your house. Several ways to minimize this are to turn off your furnace while you are working, clean up as soon as you are finished, install an automatic vacuum system in your wood shop, or simply do the project outside.
- Keep the pests under control: A clean house that is well sealed to the elements will also keep pests like ants, cockroaches, mice, and other vermin from coming into your house, bringing various contaminants along with them. Properly storing dry goods in sealed containers will also help to keep the pests away.
- Moisture control and mold prevention: Mold will thrive in warm, moist environments wherever there is a “food” source like paper, wood, or other organic material. Keep a watchful eye out for any water leaks indoors and out, and fix any problems immediately.
- Weatherize your home: Sealing all of the cracks and holes on the outside of your house will also keep many pollutants from ever coming into your house.
- Keep the beach and the pool outside: The chlorine laden pool water in your suits and towels should stay outside along with the sand form the beach. Line dry your suits and towels outside and then toss them in the washer as soon as possible.
The first step to improving the quality of the air in your house is to stop the contaminants at their source. Following these ten steps will help you keep the inside of your house cleaner, limit your exposure to potentially harmful substances and can even improve your health. Keep these pollutants under control and breathe easy.
Dan Bossenbroek
Home Energy Audits:
There are hundreds if not thousands of products and strategies that you can purchase and employ to make your home more energy efficient and eco-friendly. The problem is to decide where you should start first. Furthermore, many products claim that they can save you hundreds of dollars a year, but how much will they really save you? How long will it take for your investment in energy conservation products pay for themselves? A Home Energy Audit is one of the best steps that you can take to plan your journey to a help to determine where and how you spend money on energy and how much each product or strategy will save you. How much more comfortable will you be once those leaky windows are properly weatherized? How much is it costing you to not have your attic properly insulated? How much will you save by switching the bulbs in your porch lamps from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescents or even LED’s? Where should you turn for a Home Energy Audit?
Online and Do-It-Yourself Audits:
There are numerous free do-it-yourself and online audits available, but they can only return the most basic analysis of your home’s energy consumption and only generic suggestions as to which actions you should take first. Furthermore, any results indicating how much you will save are typically based on average conditions not on the specific conditions of your house.
Professional Energy Audits:
There are also many professionals that you can hire to come to you house, some with specialized equipment in order to give a very detailed analysis of the energy usages of your house. These detailed analyses come with a significant cost of $300 to $500.
The Best of Both:
A third option is a collaborative process between you and a professional. For a much more reasonable cost of $100 you can receive a do-it-yourself Home Energy Audit Form for you to fill out in the privacy of your home on your own time. Once you have filled out the form and returned it with your photographs to us, we will:
- Contact you, verifying receipt of information.
- Review all of your information and contact you if any clarification is needed.
- Use proprietary tools to analyze the information and develop a plan to best meet your budget and energy saving goals.
- Send you a detailed plan listing the steps and products needed to meet your goals. The plan will include a breakdown of your expected savings and estimated pay back period.
- We will also suggest several additional products and/or strategies will help you save even more energy and money.
- Assist you in implementing the plan that we have proposed.
Together:
Through this process, we will assess the energy efficiency of your house and lifestyle, learn how and where you are spending money on energy, and develop a plan to implement the most cost effective energy saving strategies. Once these strategies are implemented you will begin to save energy and significantly reduce your utility bills. Furthermore, your house will be more comfortable to live in. After the initial savings are realized, we can take that savings and invest it in further energy saving products, and eventually, ideally reduce your energy bills to nothing.
Check it out at: www.justgreenhomes.com/homeenergyaudit
There are hundreds if not thousands of products and strategies that you can purchase and employ to make your home more energy efficient and eco-friendly. The problem is to decide where you should start first. Furthermore, many products claim that they can save you hundreds of dollars a year, but how much will they really save you? How long will it take for your investment in energy conservation products pay for themselves? A Home Energy Audit is one of the best steps that you can take to plan your journey to a help to determine where and how you spend money on energy and how much each product or strategy will save you. How much more comfortable will you be once those leaky windows are properly weatherized? How much is it costing you to not have your attic properly insulated? How much will you save by switching the bulbs in your porch lamps from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescents or even LED’s? Where should you turn for a Home Energy Audit?
Online and Do-It-Yourself Audits:
There are numerous free do-it-yourself and online audits available, but they can only return the most basic analysis of your home’s energy consumption and only generic suggestions as to which actions you should take first. Furthermore, any results indicating how much you will save are typically based on average conditions not on the specific conditions of your house.
Professional Energy Audits:
There are also many professionals that you can hire to come to you house, some with specialized equipment in order to give a very detailed analysis of the energy usages of your house. These detailed analyses come with a significant cost of $300 to $500.
The Best of Both:
A third option is a collaborative process between you and a professional. For a much more reasonable cost of $100 you can receive a do-it-yourself Home Energy Audit Form for you to fill out in the privacy of your home on your own time. Once you have filled out the form and returned it with your photographs to us, we will:
- Contact you, verifying receipt of information.
- Review all of your information and contact you if any clarification is needed.
- Use proprietary tools to analyze the information and develop a plan to best meet your budget and energy saving goals.
- Send you a detailed plan listing the steps and products needed to meet your goals. The plan will include a breakdown of your expected savings and estimated pay back period.
- We will also suggest several additional products and/or strategies will help you save even more energy and money.
- Assist you in implementing the plan that we have proposed.
Together:
Through this process, we will assess the energy efficiency of your house and lifestyle, learn how and where you are spending money on energy, and develop a plan to implement the most cost effective energy saving strategies. Once these strategies are implemented you will begin to save energy and significantly reduce your utility bills. Furthermore, your house will be more comfortable to live in. After the initial savings are realized, we can take that savings and invest it in further energy saving products, and eventually, ideally reduce your energy bills to nothing.
Window Fan:
If you can’t afford a whole house fan or you are renting you may want to consider a Window Fan to cool your house during the night when the temperatures are lower than in the day. Many times your house or appartment can be cooled off to such an extent that you can close your windows in the morning and the temperature in your house will stay quite comfortable for most if not all of the day. Sleep in comfort and enjoy the savings from your window fans.
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By Diana Strittmatter
In a desperate attempt to reduce the work involved by having to replace mulch every year in my flower garden, I began to do some research on rubber mulch. What I found is that there has been lots of controversy about having rubber mulch around your garden because, according to some gardeners, rubber mulch may leach chemicals that could kill your plants. In a report written in 1997 by Rufus Chaney, who is an environmental Chemist for the U.S.D.A. Agricultural Research Service, he says that in his studies, small amounts of zinc in rubber mulch could leach into the soil over time.
The next report I read came from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission which tested gravel, wood chips, and rubber mulch and they gave rubber mulch the highest shock absorption ratings when used as playground covering. This is good news for parents and teachers alike as it will provide safety and minimize the cuts and bruises children get while at playgrounds.
Several other studies that I read stated that rubber mulch is non-leaching, non-flammable and non-toxic to plants, animals and pets. The problem with these studies is that these were done and sponsored by the companies that process the mulch so I do not know if we should believe this or not. And, the arguments continue between the environmental agencies and the companies that manufacture rubber mulch.
So, we now know that rubber mulch is good if used in playgrounds and other non-garden related areas, but what about a flower garden? First, take a look at what rubber mulch is. It is made from old rubber tires that had the steel bands removed. It does not matter the size, quality or make of the tire, any old tire will do. It does not matter if the tire came from a truck or a passenger car. The rubber from these tires is then made into nuggets thus creating rubber mulch. Next, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using rubber mulch.
Advantages
• it is recycled material which benefits the environment
• it insulates the soil protecting it from heat
• does not absorb water so it keeps the soil moist
• prevents weeds since seeds will dehydrate in the mulch prior to reaching the soil
• shredded rubber mulch can be used as landfill
• does not wash away during heavy rain
• does not decay
• does not sink to the ground
• does not attract termites, ants and other garden insects
• can be purchased in different colors to add beauty to a garden or landscape
• no need to remove old mulch year after year from the garden
• saves time and money tending to garden needs
Disadvantages
• it is more expensive than regular wood mulch
• may leach chemicals into the soil
• does not provide soil with any organic matter
• some gardeners have reported that it killed some of their plants
• may produce bad odor when spread in the garden
By reviewing the lists above, it is obvious that the advantages of using rubber mulch are much greater than the disadvantages. But, should we take a chance and use it on our flower gardens? That is a decision that each individual gardener needs to make.
As for me, I took a chance and bought rubber mulch in March of this year and replaced the old wood mulch in my flower garden. I must admit that I was a little nervous at first, but it was a time and money saving decision that I had to make. I expected some bad odor to permeate all around my garden, but there was none. Time will tell if the rubber mulch will damage some of my plants but so far, my flower garden is doing well and the rubber mulch looks great.
• it is recycled material which benefits the environment
• it insulates the soil protecting it from heat
• does not absorb water so it keeps the soil moist
• prevents weeds since seeds will dehydrate in the mulch prior to reaching the soil
• shredded rubber mulch can be used as landfill
• does not wash away during heavy rain
• does not decay
• does not sink to the ground
• does not attract termites, ants and other garden insects
• can be purchased in different colors to add beauty to a garden or landscape
• no need to remove old mulch year after year from the garden
• saves time and money tending to garden needs
• it is more expensive than regular wood mulch
• may leach chemicals into the soil
• does not provide soil with any organic matter
• some gardeners have reported that it killed some of their plants
• may produce bad odor when spread in the garden
Diana Strittmatter is an avid gardener who helps other gardeners obtain the results they need to create the garden of their dreams. For more tips, ideas and general information on flower gardening, visit her website at: http://www.bestflowergardening.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Diana_Strittmatter
http://EzineArticles.com/?Rubber-Mulch—Is-it-Safe-For-Your-Flower-Garden?&id=1273528
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Purple Playground Rubber Mulch – 60 Bags @ 30 lbs ea. covers about 800 s.f.Rubber mulch for playgrounds is one of the safest ways to protect your child from injury. It provides a cushioned ground which reduces playground mishaps. Rubber mulch is easy to install and will enhance your parks and playgrounds to the impressive look you’ve been dreaming of. Our rubber mulch provides shock absorption and meets CPSC safety guidelines. When using rubber mulch there is no need to worry about splinters and rest assured your kids will come home a lot cleaner. Rubber mulch is the way to go! Also avaialable in Basic Black ($859.00), Cocoa Brown, Forest Green, Royal Blue & Terra Cotta. Free shipping! |
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Redwood Rubber Mulch – 40 Bags @ 40 lbs ea. covers about 900 s.f.Rubber mulch for landscaping is an innovative and practical way of beautifying your lawn. Rubber mulch will not deteriorate, disintegrate or warp. Rubber mulch is easy to install. It is perfect for your residential and commercial landscaping. Also available in Black, Cedar, Cyprus, Earthtone, Forest Green and Grass. Free shipping! |
Jedd Clampet found his Bubbling Crude, Black Gold, Texas tea right in his back yard. Now you too can make your own Eco-Black Gold and Compost Tea with Worm Composting. It is simply amazing what those little Red Wigglers (Eisenia foetida) can do as they devour just about anything that comes out of your kitchen. Just offer them egg shells, leftovers, coffee grounds, paper towels, even the cardboard circles that come with your frozen pizza and they will give you some of the darkest and richest soil around as well as some of the most nutrient packed liquid fertilizer available.
Many of you might already get compost from your composter bin, composting tumbler, or compost pile in the back yard. If 
so, you should try the compost that comes from worm composting for even better results. The worm castings and the liquid byproduct of worm composting, better known as Worm Tea have been found to be so beneficial to your garden that they are now commercially available. Not only have they been found to be two of the best fertilizers available, they have the added benefit of being totally organic and can be used as fertilizer for your houseplants, mulch in your flower beds or compost in your vegetable garden.
Apartment dwellers and commercial establishments don’t usually have back yards available for traditional composting, but with worm composting all the space that is required is a corner of a utility room, a small closet, or the space under your kitchen sink to start to divert kitchen waste from the landfill. A family sized worm bin only needs to be about two feet square, and as long as it is kept in a warm (between 40° and 80°F), dark and dry location the worms will do their magic. More and more families are moving beyond back yard composting to worm composting. In fact many restaurants, hotels and grocery wholesalers have turned to vermicomposting to reduce their volume of trash. One brewpub in northeast Ohio has been doing this inside their facility for years, using worms to convert the food waste from its brewing and restaurant activities into soil in which to grow vegetables they then serve in the restaurant.
There are two options to getting started with worm bins: you can build one yourself or you can purchase one of the many commercially available worm composting systems. The do-it-yourself route is a very inexpensive way to get started, but you will still need to purchase red worms since the worms that you find in your back yard will not survive for long in a worm bin. If you do choose to make your own bin, you will need to make sure to provide enough air circulation and water drainage to keep the worms from suffocating and drowning. Numerous types of containers can be used from plastic tubs to old dresser drawers as long as they are wide and shallow (8” to 12” deep) and they have a cover to keep light out. The commercially available residential sized systems start at about $100, but they make it very easy to add food and bedding, automatically separate the worms from the finished compost, drain the excess liquid, and are proven to provide the correct amount of ventilation. They are also typically made of several smaller trays so they are easier to handle and move around than one large tub.
Recycling and back yard composting can help to greatly reduce the waste that we send to the landfill, but there are still a number of things that are not recommended for a traditional composter. Worm bins however can accommodate a fair amount of egg shells, meat and dairy products, soiled paper and cardboard, as well as that last scoop of your dinner that no one can eat and is not worth saving. Some worm composting experts have even suggested that cat feces can be safely and fully composted in your worm bin, however cat litter and urine should not be composted. On average, two pounds of Red Wigglers can devour about one pound of waste every day, and the number of worms in your bin will slowly increase or decrease to match the amount of waste they are fed.
Whether you live in an apartment, are simply short on out door space, or just want to keep all of your organic kitchen waste from ending up in the landfill, then worm composting is the answer for you. Furthermore, if you don’t have a garden of your own it should not be hard to find someone who will take the nutrient rich compost and worm tea off of your hands. Worms may not make you rich, but worm compost will make your soil as rich as a Beverly Hillbilly.
Dan Bossenbroek
